Mathilde Laurent, the perfumer of the Maison Cartier, created a collection that captures the fresh spontaneity of life and nothing less. Developed by imagining perfume as a piece of high jewelry found in living nature. The first collection of Les Épures reminds us of five irresistible jewels from the same collection. The scents are rather simple than sophisticated and remind us of an olfactory beauty for men and women.

“Bottling the delicate scent of life to offer the original pleasure of enjoying nature. ” 

Mathilde Laurent 

The five ultra-realistic, striking and vibrant olfactory creations include: Pur Muguet, Pur Kinkan, Pur Magnolia, Pur Rose and Pur Lilas. These are the fleeting delights of nature: being in a forest surrounded by lilies of the valley, walking through a garden as the first lilacs bloom, or peeling a ripe kinkan before taking a bite. One thing that each of these Épures shares is their truth. The scents enhance the beauty of the spring as it is right now. The awakening of nature, the scent of flowers in full blossoms in the air and friendly sun rays touching the skin.

With Les Épures de Parfum, Cartier is celebrating the original resonance and beauty of living nature. A creative challenge that involves giving the illusion of a moment spent in nature that’s been bottled in an instant. 

Pur Lilas 
Fresh white lilac with a subtle pink hue is accompanied by clusters of flowers which twirl their way around you, leaving a lively, fresh and delicate scent. The scent of wild lilac is much fresher and more aqueous than that which we typically find in perfumery. The reality of lilac is that it has a floral note that needs to be extremely fresh and aquatic in order to be a pleasant scent. It is this freshness that distinguishes a living flower from one that has already dried out, or from a perfume flower that has lost its essence, its youth, its moisture – in short, its life. Mathilde Laurent chose lilac because of its ephemeral nature, similar to the lily of the valley. Lilacs can’t be found all year round; they bloom mainly around April, then won’t be seen for an entire year until spring comes around again. Les Épures feature ephemeral flowers emblematic of the perfumery industry’s fight against time. 

“For me, lilacs symbolise the first brighter, longer and sunny days of spring. My intention was to present a very young, fresh and radiant lilac. I opted for a white lilac with a subtle pink hue to reflect the lightness of nature. It is always a pleasure to discover the first lilac bloom of the year, a surprise that can happen in any garden, even your own. ”

Mathilde Laurent 

The lilac is neither overpowering nor subtle, it’s what we call a ‘mute’ flower. The perfumer must look for subtleties in each olfactory family and rely on both the natural and molecular ingredients.

“Through my work with this flower I’ve noticed it has a distinctly musky undertone. ”

Mathilde Laurent 

Pur Kinkan 
Irresistible fragrance at your fingertips. The purest form of citrus: the cologne is refined and pushed to its limits in the 21st century. Pur Kinkan offers the pleasure of those moments when we are in contact with certain fruits, with citrus fruits when we cut them, when we press them or when we scratch them with our fingers their essence gushes out, in the form of small projections of microscopic, juicy essences that are a delight to eat. A very rare sensation in perfumery, as citrus fruits are often used as modifiers, top notes followed by heart and base notes.

“With Pur Kinkan I just wanted to offer that immediate pleasure, lightness, freshness, simplicity too, that very joyful moment that makes you want to savour life.”

Mathilde Laurent 

Pur Magnolia 
A magnolia for once without romance, hanging from its tree, bursting with freshness and life. Ultra-realistic, it has been meticulously studied to accurately capture its texture. The idea is to get as close as possible to the fresh, delicate and subtly citrussy flower.

“I wanted to convey the delight that I felt discovering this magnolia flower, when I first smelled it on the tree, far from the romanticised stereotypes of perfumery. The joy of discovering a flower that’s not just floral, still on its tree in all its freshness, full of life, because that’s the aim with the Épures collection, that it be full of life.”

Mathilde Laurent 

Pur Muguet 
A contemporary vision of this emblematic and historic flower; unprecedented realism that has been pushed to the extreme. Lily of the valley: bare. The idea behind the creation of this lily of the valley solo for Cartier is motivated by the ephemeral and exquisite nature of the flower.

“My aim was to revisit the legendary soliflore lily of the valley in an ultra-modern, ultra- realistic way. I wanted to offer an intense olfactory experience, faithfully reproducing the delightful experience of catching a hint of wild lily of the valley. To achieve this, I put my creativity as a perfumer to one side, favouring a realistic approach in order to guarantee intense and authentic sensory satisfaction.”

Mathilde Laurent 

Pure Rose 
We could devour it, now, raw, naked. A raw rose found in nature, bursting with life and an essence that pulsates with freshness and permeates the nostrils. No frills, just the pure and simple pleasure of a hyper-realistic rose that chooses to offer up her authentic, naked truth.

“I wanted to create a pure and ultra-realistic raw rose scent, as if it’s still growing on a rose bush, offering a fragrance to those who want to wear the rose’s scent in its simplest, purest form, without any gimmicks. Pur Rose brings together freshness, naturalness and the joys of life and nature. ” 

Mathilde Laurent